Evil's Daughter
by Hatter of Madness
Summary: Her mother was Bellatrix Lestrange, locked away in Azkaban. They say her father is a terrible man, but won't say who. All Veronica Lestrange wants is to find out what sets her so different from the rest of the wizarding world. OC. Rated T.
1. The Woes of Mrs Lestrange

**~*~Evil's Daughter~*~  
>by Hatter of Madness<strong>

* * *

><p>Bellatrix Lestrange wasn't sure if it was coincidence that it happened to be raining that day, but the precipitation coincided with her tears. She had loved him...that was a sign that she cared. No, Bellatrix Lestrange never became attached to anything or anyone...her falling in love was completely out of the ordinary.<p>

And Bellatrix knew she had definitely bargained for too much that bittersweet night. He had shown affection to no one, and he was so caught up in his own plans that destroying what little Bellatrix had left seemed like child's play. She had had an affair with him, and her husband had found out and left her alone: Not only had he kicked Bellatrix out on the street, but he also left her with nothing but the clothes on her back and a wand, which he only reluctantly let her keep. It would seem easier if he had just snapped it.

Bellatrix arrived that day, soaking wet, in the home of her sister, Narcissa. She and Narcissa were close, and they grew closer still once their sister, Andromeda, became a blood traitor and married Ted Tonks. She and the stupid Mudblood were a disgrace to the Black family. Her picture had been burnt off the Black family tree.

Malfoy Manor, where Narcissa lived, along with her husband, Lucius Malfoy, was dark and foreboding. Bellatrix got chills just approaching it. She walked into the house without knocking, then started calling for her sister. "Cissy..." Bellatrix said, trying to sound strong, when, in reality, she was falling to pieces. "Cissy, it's me...it's Bella..."

Narcissa came out from her bedroom in shock. She was five months pregnant and was definitely starting to show. She wore loose, skimpy clothes, however, in a desperate attempt to hide the bump in her stomach. "Bella?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, yes, it's me, Cissy," Bellatrix said, a bit too casually. She had her arms wrapped around her own stomach, though Narcissa couldn't tell why. She also had no idea what was wrong with her sister, because, naturally, given her tone, something wasn't right. "Oh, Cissy, I need to talk to you. It's an..." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "...emergency."

Narcissa raised her brows instinctively, then brought Bellatrix to the sitting area. They both sat on the couch. Bellatrix avoided looking at her younger sister. That was when Narcissa finally noticed one thing that was terribly, terribly wrong about her sister, and that was...

"Bella, you're not wearing your wedding ring?" Narcissa asked. The silver ring was, indeed, missing from her sister's finger. In its place was a single white strip, part of Bella's skin that had faded from wearing the piece of jewelry. Her skin on her finger was near snow white, which was quite a sight, as Bellatrix was not the tannest person in the world.

She looked sadly at her hand. It almost seemed like she was expecting the ring to reappear there and would wait patiently for its return. However, she knew that that would not be happening in the near future. "About that," she said, then stared at her sister. "I'm going to have a baby, Cissy."

Narcissa was happy for her sister, but, it seemed, her sister was not happy for herself. "Wonderful, Bella," she said, trying to see what her older sister's reaction was. Now, her own child could have a cousin, and, perhaps, he or she would have a playmate. However, Bellatrix's eyes started to water. "Bella, is something wrong?" Narcissa asked. It felt odd to be comforting her older sister; it made her feel like _she_ was the older one.

"It's just...the father, Cissy..."

Narcissa was troubled by what Bellatrix said, but tried not to let it show. "I know full well who it is, Bella," she said. "I take it Rodolphus didn't..."

"It's...it's not Rodolphus's child, Cissy," Bellatrix said.

"I'm well aware of that, Bella, let me finish," Narcissa said. "I take it Rodolphus didn't take it well when he found out, Bella?"

"I didn't tell Rodolphus," Bellatrix said, again wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I'm not wearing my wedding ring because he found out about the affair, not the child. But if he knew...well, I'm sure he wouldn't be too afraid of casting one of the Unforgivables, Cissy, even if I _am_ going to have a baby. He's changed me."

"I'm sure the...the other man would have changed you more, Bella," Narcissa snapped coldly. Bellatrix cringed at her words. She was not used to such treatment, even from her husband. _No, ex husband,_ she reminded herself. She knew Rodolphus would do anything to make it seem like Bellatrix had left of her own accord... Anything so that he would not be ridiculed.

Bellatrix fully noted how cold the room truly was after Narcissa's scathing remark. The truth was, Rodolphus had changed her. Before, she had been cold and heartless; that, she was aware of. She knew she had been awful, abusing her status of 'pureblood', looking down on people for their ancestry, feeling superior for all that she had done in her life. But that was when the beatings started, which was reason enough for her to start the affair. Rodolphus had left her permanently scarred, emotionally if not physically. She had fled to the other man after that, afraid of what would happen if she didn't have someone else. At first, it was to make her feel like a real woman again; she had never meant to fall in love.

And that was true, she had fallen more in love with him than she had ever been with her husband. But he didn't care. No, he took advantage of her, using it to his own personal benefit. Then she returned to her husband, and he knew all about it. But he didn't know one crucial detail, one she did not plan on sharing.

"It's certainly true he did have a part in my metamorphisis," she said, nodding. "But Rodolphus, Cissy, he...he did things to me, Cissy..."

"I know what he did to you," Narcissa said; for a moment, Bellatrix wondered whether her sister could read her mind. "You have nowhere to go, do you?"

"Rodolphus made me leave," Bellatrix said sadly. The room was still very cold. She started to shiver in spite of herself.

"Return to Rodolphus."

"I could never."

"Do you want to stay here?" Narcissa asked, completely disgusted with her sister. She wasn't serious, naturally, but it seemed that Bellatrix must have taken it the wrong way.

"Yes, actually," Bellatrix said; Narcissa snarled. "Please, Cissy. I have nowhere to go. I wouldn't get in your way, I promise, I would respect you and Lucius and your child, I would take care of my own child, should I decide to keep it..."

"'Should'?" Narcissa said. She had less respect for her sister. She sighed. Obviously, Bella had no normal thought running through her mind. "You stay here on one condition."

"Anything."

"Keep the child."

"What good will that do?" Bellatrix asked, moving her hands from her stomach to her arms, trying to give herself extra warmth. She was getting especially curious, practically living on her sister's every word.

"What do you mean, what good will that do? You need something to live for, Bella."

"If you can even call what I'm doing 'living'," Bellatrix said, but she was so grateful for her sister.

* * *

><p><strong>Meh, lame ending? I know. This is an idea I had when my friend said she was "dating Malfoy" (jokingly, of course!), and I was like "UH UH THAT'S MY COUSIN", and our inside joke is that a certain HP character is my dad because I had a dream where he was my dad, so...ta da? Please review? Also, check out my other two HP stories, Texts From Last Night and Fearless? TFLN has no reviews and Fearless hasn't been reviewed during my last two updates. In fact, no one's really looked at either according to my traffic stats.<strong>

**-Hatter of Madness**


	2. Veronica Merope Lestrange

It was hard to believe that a little less than twelve years had passed at Malfoy Manor, as so much had changed in such little time. Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had once been so desperate for a place to turn to, a shoulder to cry on, was no longer in the house, or in any house at all... She had taken up residence elsewhere, though when questioned her sister, Narcissa, was very secretive about it.

Another thing was that neither Black sister was pregnant anymore, and neither had had another child since. Narcissa's son, Draco, was exactly like his father Lucius in every way. They could be twins if Lucius was eleven years old again. He had pale blond hair and grey eyes, with a pointed chin. He also seemed to have a constant sneer on his face.

Small for her age was his cousin, Bellatrix's daughter. She had been born premature and when she was still very young, her mother had disappeared. Lucius and Narcissa did not talk about it in front of the children. They simply said she had 'gone away' and refused to explain further. Like her mother, she had thick black curls and pale skin, with a heart-shaped face, but for some reason that the Malfoys could not explain, her eyes were red, like blood. They always claimed they were a burning brown, perhaps mahogany, but when Veronica Lestrange looked at herself in the mirror, all she could see was red.

That was the Malfoys' first problem with their niece: She was very observant, and often voiced her findings at times they did not feel appropriate...or in other words, any time she opened her mouth. Another problem, one that they had laughed about at the time of her birth, was her mother's idea for her name: Veronica Merope Lestrange. Bellatrix's reasoning for this was simple: Veronica was a strong given name; Merope, for the Gaunt family, the one that had sprouted the darkest wizard of all time; and Lestrange, to hide the fact that she was born out of wedlock.

As soon as Bella had left the house, Lucius and Narcissa tried desperately to find another name for their niece, but unfortunately, there weren't too many nicknames that stemmed from 'Veronica', and so they settled on 'Ronnie'.

A few weeks prior to Ronnie's eleventh birthday, an age Draco had been already for two months, she was awoken by the Malfoy house elf, Dobby. Ronnie seemed to be the only one in the house that liked Dobby; he was her only true friend, as she hadn't had contact with anyone who did not live in the house.

"Good morning, Miss Veronica!" Dobby said as he came into the dark room.

She opened a sleepy eye and smiled at the elf. "Good morning, Dobby."

House elves were not used to this kind of treatment from witches and wizards, and Dobby always seemed to be happy when he was alone with Ronnie. "Masters Malfoy request Miss Veronica's presence at breakfast," he said, laying out her slippers at the foot of her bed.

"Thanks, Dobby," she said, throwing her feet over the edge and into the shoes.

Deposited next to where she had been laying moments before was a book, _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee. "Dobby will be bringing Miss Veronica her package later," Dobby said, taking note of it.

Ronnie nodded at the elf. She had secretly joined a book club that sent out Muggle books each month to those who were signed up. Ronnie had loved to read ever since she was able to and each month spent what little pocket money she received from her relatives on the next book. She had a stack hidden under a loose floorboard in her room that she never bothered to tell anyone about. Other than the books, she had other items there as well.

"Thank you, Dobby," she said, standing out of bed. She would make it later. Following the little elf, she walked down the stairs where the mouth watering smell of her breakfast was waiting for her. As she entered the room, her aunt and uncle took notice of her but said nothing, too busy listening to their son. Ronnie tuned them out completely, thinking about the ending of her book. Scout had been walking home from her play with Jem on Halloween when...

"Open the window," Narcissa snapped at Dobby, who ran to a stool beneath the window and opened it for a large, tawney owl carrying two letters. The owl flew in, dropped the thick parchment envelopes on the center of the table, and swooped out again. They were tied together with a string, which Lucius broke with his butter knife, and looked at each quickly. He handed one to his son and, giving her a reproachful sneer, one to his niece.

Ronnie looked at the address, her heart pounding somewhere in her chest.

_Miss V. Lestrange  
>The bedroom on the landing<br>Malfoy Manor  
>Wiltshire, England<em>

Her Hogwarts letter. She glanced over at Draco, who had already ripped his letter open without even glancing at the envelope. His green ink read 'Mr. D. Malfoy' and his residence was listed as 'the upstairs room'. Swallowing past the knot in her throat, she carefully flipped the letter over and broke the purple wax seal. She would finally be leaving the dismal place that was Malfoy Manor for somewhere a bit more...desirable.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY  
>Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)<em>

_Dear Miss Lestrange,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
>Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress<em>

Ronnie skimmed through the list of the necessary equipment, which Draco had thrown aside as well, excitedly telling his parents that he had been accepted. For a uniform, she needed three sets of plain work robes (black), one plain pointed hat (black as well), one pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar), one winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings), and a name tag. Then there the books, which she was afraid was going to cost her aunt and uncle money. In comparison to her, Draco was a spoiled child, though Ronnie was by no means mistreated or neglected. She never asked for much, and in return, never received much either. Still, they had money; perhaps they could afford two sets of clothes _and_ school supplies _and _books.

_The Standard Book of Spells, Year One, _by Miranda Goshawk..._A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot..._Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling..._A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch..._One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore..._Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger..._Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander...and _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble. She would also need a wand, a cauldron (pewter, standard size 2), a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope set, and a brass scale. At the bottom was the note: _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

She frowned, looking over the list. Her family would need six sets of robes, two hats, two pairs of gloves, two cloaks, two name tag, and sixteen books, not to mention if she and her cousin received pets as well.

While she sat deep in thought, her uncle Lucius snatched the parchment out of her hand, skimming over it. "Quite a list this year," he mumbled to Narcissa, who was peering over Draco's list and nodded. "We'll need to make a stop at Gringotts first..."

Narcissa nodded. "Do we need to go into Bella's vault for her?"

Lucius looked at his niece up and down. "We'll manage."

Ronnie's heart fell. It was a rather romantic notion, but she thought that if she ever looked into her mother's Gringotts vault, she might see some of the things her relatives kept secret from her...who she was, what she was like... But still, she was just kidding herself. Obviously, they were a well to do family; they wouldn't need to stop and scrape some Galleons or Sickles out of her own vault.

After eating her breakfast without another word, Ronnie went back up the stairs to her bedroom, where Dobby was already making her bed. "Oh, Dobby!" she said, feeling complete remorse. "I was going to do that myself!"

The elf smiled at her. "It's alright, Miss Veronica!" he said. "Dobby pleases himself in his work, Miss..."

And there was a rapping at the door as the owl with Ronnie's newest book club installment arrived. She lay prostrate on the floor, pulling up the loose board and producing a single golden Galleon with which to pay the bird. This one was rather pretty; usually, the mail birds had a constant reproachful look to them. She opened the window, untied the parcel from the bird's leg, and dropped the Galleon into a pouch on its other leg before it took off onto the wind again.

She opened the package greedily; this month, the book was _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn _by Betty Smith. She looked at the back as she walked to the floor where she sat cross legged. She was a bit worried; she would receive one more book before she went to Hogwarts at home, then she wondered how they were going to get to her from there. She hoped they would be delivered to her at the school, but was sure that if they were dropped off at home, Dobby would settle things.

"Is that Miss Veronica's Hogwarts list?" Dobby asked, seeing the parchment Ronnie had completely forgotten she was holding after Lucius dropped it in front of her at the tag end of breakfast.

She nodded, handing it to him. "Do you think I could convince my uncle to get me a pet?" she asked.

Dobby's eyes twinkled. "Dobby hopes, Miss, for Miss Veronica!"

At that, Lucius's voice boomed up the stairs for the elf to come and clear the breakfast dishes. Dobby winked at Veronica and snapped as he Disapparated.

* * *

><p>A little less than a week later, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco, with Ronnie struggling to keep up behind them, were walking through the streets of Diagon Alley.<p>

"I'll take them to get their robes," Lucius said. "Narcissa, why don't you tell Garrick to be expecting us." Narcissa nodded, taking off in the other direction towards the wand shop as Lucius shuffled the children to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

As the door opened, Madam Malkin came up to them quickly. "Hogwarts?" she asked. Lucius nodded the affirmative. "Janice will take their measurements," she said, nodding to her assistant.

"Ladies first," Janice said, taking Veronica first and seeming to get the job done very quickly. "Now you," she said to her cousin.

Draco stepped, without being told, onto a black stool in the back as Veronica stood, patiently waiting. The witch began taking his measurements as Lucius walked off to get their books and another young boy with jet black, messy hair entered. Ronnie lit up; maybe she would make a friend with this boy. He walked to the back to be fitted as well.

They began pinning Draco's robes. "Hello," he said. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," the boy said.

"My father's next door buying books and my mother's up the street looking at wands," he said.

"Oh," the boy said, though it was obvious to Ronnie that Draco wanted to continue. "Is this your sister?" he asked, looking at Ronnie, who hid her face as she turned scarlet.

Draco laughed. "No, Ronnie's my cousin," he said roughly, then, changing the subject back to himself, said, "Then I'm going to drag my parents off to look at brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow. Have _you _got your own broom?"

"No," the dark haired boy said.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No."

Ronnie felt for the boy. It seemed that he was raised by Muggles, the way he seemed so unsure of answering 'no' to Draco's latest question. Even _she_ had played a bit and seen a few Quidditch matches before. Just a year prior, Lucius had taken her and Draco to the Quidditch World Cup as a 'treat for her birthday', though she doubted that was his true reasoning for wanting to go.

"What did you say your name was?" the dark haired boy asked Ronnie. She looked up in surprise.

"Veronica," Draco answered for her, her mouth hanging open, then changed the conversation, yet again, to himself. "_I _play Quidditch—Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," the boy said again.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they?" Ronnie started, at which point Draco glared at her.

"No, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been, yours and mine"—he said this to Ronnie, then looked up at the other boy—"imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm." This proved, to Ronnie in any case, that he was raised by Muggles if he didn't have any input. She wondered for a brief moment if her cousin was so thick he couldn't see it.

"I say," Draco said suddenly, looking out the window, "look at that man!" He nodded towards a rather large man, holding two ice cream cones, standing outside. Ronnie could see where his surprise came from; the man outside had to be at least twice the size of her uncle.

"That's Hagrid. He works at Hogwarts." Then Ronnie wondered if he _was _raised by Muggles after all.

"Oh. I've heard of him." She had, too. "He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper." And this surprised her as well; she had been told that the man called Hagrid _was_ a servant, but she supposed that to some, being a gamekeeper _was _a servant.

Confirming her thoughts, her cousin said, "Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of _savage_—lives in a hut on school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed." Draco _had_ to be exaggerating this, she thought.

"I think he's brilliant."

"_Do _you?" She wished he would just leave well enough alone. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead."

Ronnie bit her lip. Her mother...well, who knew where she was? Her father, on the other hand, she had never met, not even as a baby. She knew what it was like to not have parents, and sympathized with this boy. Then, a new theory fell in her head... Maybe his parents had died and he was adopted by Muggles... Or maybe he was with Hagrid because he lived with him after the death of his parents... Draco, she thought, _had_ to take pity for this at least.

"Oh, sorry," he said in a callous voice. Or not. "But they were _our_ kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and a wizard, if that's what you mean."

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

Ronnie was burning with rage at this point, but before the other boy could answer, he was excused, and a few minutes later, Draco was as well, taking out a small heap of golden coins his father had given him to pay for their robes, dropped it on the counter, and shoved a bag roughly at his cousin.

"Let's go to Ollivander's," he said, glancing over his cousin's tattered appearance.

"Draco," she said in the walk to the wand shop.

"What?"

"What's wrong with being in anywhere but Slytherin?"

He sneered. "You _can't _be serious, Ronnie. Our entire _family's_ been in Slytherin...my father, my mother, your father, your mother..."

"You know my parents?" she asked.

He frowned. "No, but I've heard enough about them. Anyway, if you're anywhere _but _Slytherin, you'll want to be a Ravenclaw. I'd leave if I was a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, wouldn't you?"

"What's wrong with being a Hufflepuff?"

He rounded on her, almost knocking her completely to the ground. "Are you an idiot?"

"N-no."

"Then are you mental?"

"No!"

"Then _you_"—he jabbed a finger in Ronnie's chest—"should know better"—he jabbed her again—"about being in Hufflepuff!" And he jabbed her one more time, turned swiftly on his heel, and led her into the wand shop.

The bell rang as they walked into the little shop, and Ronnie looked around at the rows upon rows of wands in their sleek, black boxes. Mr. Ollivander had very gray hair and wild eyes. As they walked in, he said, "Ah, Narcissa...I've been expecting your brood." He appeared almost out of nowhere, looking down at the two children. "Both of these yours?"

"Draco is mine," her aunt said, placing a white hand on her son's shoulder. "Veronica"—she carefully hid a sneer at the name—"is Bella's."

"Ah," he said, measuring their wand arms. After that, he was already pulling out two boxes, handing one to each child for them to try. Draco's wand picked him almost immediately; he only had two tries before he found one that suited him. "Hawthorn, ten inches, unicorn hair," Mr. Ollivander said proudly as he put it back in the box for Narcissa to pay for. Veronica, however, had less luck; she tried ten, much to Draco's displeasure, before her wand chose her. "Yew, twelve and a half inches, phoenix feather," he said, placing it, too, in the box. "That'll be fourteen Galleons." Narcissa placed the money on the table, a bag with various school supplies with her. Ronnie could make out two cauldrons and two sets of scales.

They exited the little shop without another word, then said, "We need to meet up with your father," she said. "Where is he?"

"Buying books," Ronnie said, glad she could blurt something out before Draco.

"Ah," she said, walking into Flourish and Blotts, holding the door open for the two children. They immediately found Lucius, a bag filled with books to the bursting under his wing, before they headed into Diagon Alley again.

"This is boring," Draco hissed to Ronnie. She said nothing, keeping her mouth shut. "Father."

"What is it, Draco?"

"Can we go look at Quality Quidditch Supplies?" As he had told the dark haired boy, he was definitely planning on convincing Lucius to buy him a broom some way or another.

"Why?"

"Because I want to look at the broomsticks."

"But your list says first year's aren't allowed brooms, Draco."

"Can't we just—"

"Your list says an owl, cat, or toad, and that's it. If you want to look at one of those—"

Draco frowned. "Fine." They walked to the shop called Magical Menagerie and looked inside. There were cats, toads, owls, any kind of magical creature one could desire. Ronnie busied herself looking at a small kitten with black fur and gray green eyes.

"Can I have a cat?" she heard herself blurt out.

Lucius and Narcissa were silent, but her uncle handed over a few Galleons anyway. "Do you want anything here, Draco?"

"No."

"Then we'll be leaving soon."

He sneered at his cousin, who asked a witch with heavy spectacles for the little kitten, who she said had no name yet. _Well, then I'll just have to name her myself,_ Ronnie thought happily, finally owning a pet.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for such a boring chapter, but I haven't updated this in a while, so I decided to update. I wanted Ronnie to have a kitty because I love cats :3 Btw, I didn't mean for it to look like Ronnie was being treated like Harry was by the Dursleys. I just wanted to show a contrast between the way Draco is obviously treated versus the way another child would be treated by the Malfoys. Please review, it'll get better from here.<strong>

**- Hatter of Madness**


	3. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

September the first arrived quickly—far too quickly in Draco's opinion, but not quickly enough in Ronnie's. She had turned eleven in August and when the last day of the month came about, she stayed up all night, trying to decide what to bring with her and what would stay home. Everything that would be staying she would either give to Dobby or she would hide under a loose floorboard so that Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucius didn't find it.

She packed her bag several times, always under the watchful eye of Circe, her cat. The animal was named for the first chocolate frog card she had ever received and the name seemed to fit nicely. Circe was the goddess of magic, and in _The Odyssey _by Homer, she was described as the 'most beautiful of all the immortals'. And Circe the cat was truly a beautiful creature, with her big green eyes and soft black fur. A little bit after she had acquired the name Circe she had curled up on Veronica's lap as she read _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn._

When the sun started to roll over the hills, Ronnie hoaxed Circe back in the cat carrier and waited. A little while later her Aunt Cissy's voice traveled up the stairs, calling out, "Draco...Ronnie...breakfast..."

She waited to hear Draco's voice crawl up the stairs before she made any moves. Circe had fallen asleep in her carrier. She then opened the door and walked down the stairs, her yew wand tucked behind her ear, breakfast waiting for her on the table. She barely registered what it was as she ate, too excited to care. Draco smirked at seeing where she placed the wand. "How nice of you, Ronnie," he laughed.

She turned bright pink. "Draco, play nice," Lucius said as he, too, took his place at the table. He had a drink of firewhiskey—Ronnie wretched; she hated the smell of the awful liquid, and did her uncle really have that little class to be drinking it with breakfast?—before smacking his lips and saying, "Big, big day ahead of us, isn't there?"

Ronnie could hardly contain herself. "Now, we'll be leaving in half an hour, so eat quickly. That means _you,_ Draco. That'll put us at King's Cross around ten thirty, which gives us half an hour to get you two on the platform and on the Hogwarts Express. Therefore, no wasting time." He glared at Ronnie, who looked down quickly. There was no need to remind her of her issues with punctuality. "I have some—important business to attend to following your trip."

Ronnie looked up in alarm. Important business? He had suddenly piqued her interest. She was sure she had not been imagining the ever so suspicious glint in his cold, gray eyes.

"Hurry up," Aunt Cissy barked. Ronnie was unsure if this was directed to Cissy's niece or son, but all the same, she finished what was left of her breakfast and stood. She was more than ready to leave Malfoy Manor for Hogwarts...she had been anticipating it since she was very young, after it was determined that Draco would not be sent to Durmstrang Institute in the north.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she saw that Dobby had made her bed for her and that her trunk, with the initials 'V.L.' on it, was shut tight, with the cat carrier placed neatly on top. On her bed was a package. She picked it up gingerly; in scrawly letters that were unmistakably a house elf was the words 'To Miss Veronica for Hogwarts'. The letters greatly resembled that of a small child's and some were backwards. Veronica knew that it was Dobby's work.

She suddenly remembered her letter and pried up the floorboard, pulling out a scrap of parchment and placing it on her bed, grabbing the trunk and cat carrier to take it down the stairs.

The letter read:

_Dear Dobby,_

_If you are reading this, I'm trusting you with something very, very important to me: My reading. Please be sure that Uncle Lucius and Aunt Cissy, especially my uncle, do not find them, because the printed word means so much to me, and I know they wouldn't understand._

_Second, when the newest additions come, please send them to me at Hogwarts, or at least put them under the loose floorboard for me. I wouldn't want them falling into the wrong hands, and if they're anywhere near my family, then they're in the wrong hands._

_I promise I'll write you, since you're the only real family I have._

_Sincerely,_

_Veronica Merope Lestrange_

* * *

><p>All of Ronnie and Draco's school things had been put onto their own trolleys as the Malfoys—and Ronnie—made their way through King's Cross Station towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Lucius placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and he stopped walking, looking up at his father, who looked around at the crowd gathered there. "Always packed with Muggles, of course..." he muttered to his wife, who nodded.<p>

Ronnie didn't think this was fair; Muggles had to use the trains as well. But she said nothing. Suddenly, her uncle released his grip on his son's shoulder and whispered in his ear for him to walk towards the platform, which they did together. Once they completely disappeared, Narcissa, too, looked around to make sure no one was watching and disappeared herself. Ronnie looked around, the last of the family to go through, and took a deep breath, taking the platform at a run, shutting her eyes right before she would have made contact with the barrier.

She found herself on the other side with her family, where her uncle Lucius was talking to Draco about how he expected him to behave at the school. He looked up when he saw that his niece was there and said, "You, too. If I get word from Professor Dumbledore or your head of house that you've acted out of term, we will not hesitate to throw you out of the house permanently."

"Lucius..." Narcissa warned.

"We didn't _have _to take her in, Narcissa," he said, looking into the shockingly red eyes of his niece, who stared back at him innocently, though on the inside she wanted to smack her uncle upside the head. "We were kind enough to welcome you with open arms following the—_disappearance_ of your mother. Perhaps our arms won't be so open if you act up this term."

"I promise, Uncle Lucius, I won't..." she started.

"Of course you won't."

A whistle sounded. Lucius took out his wand and flicked it so that all of Draco and Veronica's possessions were suspended in midair. "Before I forget," he said, taking out two black bags and dropping one into each of the children's hands, "pocket money. Use it wisely." He said this glaring—suspiciously—at Ronnie, who swallowed hard past the knot in her throat.

Narcissa engulfed her son in a hug, kissing his head, then looked up at her niece. Surprising the four of them—herself included—she too grabbed onto the little girl and kissed the top of her head, then said, "Have a good term."

They clambered onto the train, their luggage floating behind them. Draco walked up and down the corridors for a while, but Ronnie needed only one look up and down to deduce that there was not much space left for her to go. Soon she found a compartment that only had one boy in it. He reminded her oddly of herself: He was small and skinny, with messy black hair and a startling eye color behind round glasses, though his eyes were green, a slightly more normal color in comparison to Ronnie's red. He wore clothes that were far too big for him, as though they were given to him by someone almost double his age. He was sitting all alone, staring out the window. She cautiously came into the compartment, then cleared his throat. He looked up in alarm. When he looked at her, she immediately recognized him as the boy from the robe shop a month previously.

"Excuse me," she said in a quiet voice, "do you mind if I sit here? I'd rather not be with my cousin."

He seemed to recognize her, because it almost seemed like he remembered Draco when he said, "I know the feeling," and nodded.

She still had the cat carrier, she realized, as she took a seat immediately by the door. There was silence as the train started moving, until the door opened again, only this time, another young boy with flaming red hair was behind it. "Anyone sitting there?" he said, pointing at the seat opposite the other boy and next to Ronnie. "Everywhere else is full."

The dark haired boy shook his head 'no'. Almost immediately after the red haired boy sat down, the door opened a third time, but this time, two boys with similar red hair—obviously twins—were there. "Hey, Ron," one of them said. Ronnie looked up in surprise then blushed when she realized they were speaking to the red haired boy.

"Listen," the other began, "we're going down the middle of the train—Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," the boy called Ron said.

"Harry," said the first twin. That had to be the dark haired boy, Ronnie decided. "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"Bye," the boy called Harry said.

As the door shut, Ron said, "Are you really Harry Potter?"

As Harry nodded, Ronnie's mouth dropped open. "_Are _you?" she said in surprise. Her Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa had told her about Harry, of course; it was hard in the wizarding world to have _not_ heard of him. After all, he was the great force that had caused He Who Must Not Be Named to disappear. It was Ronnie's opinion that he should never return, one that she did not voice aloud.

"Yes," Harry said, sounding bored.

"Oh—well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," Ron said.

"Have you really got the—the scar?" Ronnie said.

Harry pulled back his bangs and smiled a real smile. There it was, clear as day. Ronnie couldn't believe that this was the boy she and Draco had met just a month earlier, and in Diagon Alley, no less.

"Wicked," Ron said in awe.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, putting his hand down and looking at Ronnie, "You look familiar...haven't I seen you before?"

She nodded. "I was at Madam Malkin's with you and my cousin. He was getting fitted for his robes."

"Oh." The look on Harry's face made it plain that he didn't like her cousin much. "Why were you with him? Did your families go shopping together?"

"I live with him," she said sadly.

"Oh," Ron said; he, too, was now interested in Ronnie's story. "What's your name?"

"Veronica, but my family calls me 'Ronnie'. Since your name is Ron, you can just call me 'Veronica', I think it'd be confusing otherwise."

"Why do you live with them?" Harry asked.

She sighed. "I've never met my father," she said. "I don't know if he's alive or dead. I knew my mother, but I was too young to remember her. All I know is their last names since it's my last name, too. Whenever I ask my aunt and uncle where she is, they just say something like 'she was called away' or 'she disappeared'. Once my uncle even said 'she didn't care for you anymore'. I honestly don't know the truth anymore. I don't even have so much as a picture even though she was my aunt's sister. And I've never heard anything about my father."

"I live with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, too," Harry said sympathetically. "Though it seems like your living situation is better than mine. You both know about magic, don't you?"

Veronica nodded, and Ron said, "Yes. I think Mum's got a second cousin that's an accountant, but the rest of us are wizards. She doesn't talk about him much. We have a big family. I'm the sixth to go to Hogwarts."

"I'm the only child my mum ever had," Veronica said, "and I only have the one cousin. At least, that I've met. Aunt Cissy doesn't talk much about Aunt Andromeda."

Ron frowned. "And what's _your_ surname?" he asked.

"Lestrange."

Ron suddenly did not seem interested in her anymore. "Oh."

She fiddled with the latch on Circe's carrier. "Mind if I let my cat out for a bit?"

"Yes," Ron said, pulling a rat out of his pocket, which was asleep. "I _do_ mind, and Scabbers does, too."

"Oh," she said, biting her lip. "That's a..." She seemed to be looking for the right adjective to use. "A nice rat you have."

Ron looked like he was fighting back a laugh. "His name is Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff—I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

"Oh, it's alright," Harry said. "All of my clothes are hand me downs of my cousin, Dudley's."

"And Circe is the first real gift Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucius have ever gotten me," Veronica said. Upon hearing her name, Circe let out a long meow. Veronica gave the little cat a sympathetic look. "I wish I could, Circe," she said, "but you heard about Scabbers..."

Then a witch came round with a cart full of food, and Harry and Veronica both spent a lot of money on just sweets. Ron said that he had sandwiches, but the other two began sharing with him, who was very poor. Even if he hadn't outright said it, Veronica knew.

They chatted over chocolate frog cards ("Do you want to trade?" Veronica asked both Harry and Ron after she unwrapped yet another Gringott card; she had about five at home), and eventually a girl came round who introduced herself as Hermione Granger, who ogled at Harry as well, though she had originally turned up to ask about a toad that a boy named Neville had lost. It struck Veronica how little Harry knew about himself.

For a while, they discussed houses, too. Ron said that his entire family had been in Gryffindor, and how he didn't know what his parents would do if he wasn't put there. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't suppose Ravenclaw _would _be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin." Then he rounded on Veronica. "And where do _you_ want to go? You _do _know about magic, don't you?"

She blushed, nodding. "Well...my entire family has been in Slytherin..."

There was a look on Harry's face that told her he had heard all about Slytherin house.

"I don't know where I want to go, though," she said. "I don't really think about where I think I _should_ go, or where I want to go, really. If I'm in Slytherin, I'm in Slytherin, there isn't much else I can do about it. I think both of my parents were there, I know Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucius were there. And I think Draco wants to..."

At that moment, as though on cue, the door slid open, and Draco strode into the compartment. At first, his eye fell on Harry, but then he turned, and his face lit up in recognition at the sight of Veronica. "There you are, cousin, I thought I'd lost you," he said, ignoring Harry and Ron's presence, who exchanged glances. "Come on, Ronnie, we've been saving a seat for you, you know, it'd be rude to not accept it..."

Standing behind him were two boys and a girl with a face like a pug, who sneered at Veronica. "No, thanks," she said, "I can decide for myself where I want to go."

He looked up, ignoring his cousin. "Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, then?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Oh, Ronnie, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And Pansy." Both boys were heavyset and the one on Draco's right—she assumed this was Crabbe—was looking at Veronica like she was the finest specimen he had ever seen. She wanted to throw up.

"And who are you?" Ron said callously.

"My name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

He gave a slight cough, which Veronica thought sounded a lot like a laugh. Draco did not seem pleased.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

"Draco..." Veronica warned, but—not oddly enough—he didn't seem to hear her.

"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You too, Ronnie. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you with that. Both of you." He extended his hand to Harry, giving his cousin an attempt at a warm smile.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," Harry said, "and I think she can too."

Veronica immediately hid her face.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "And you Ronnie. Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as both of your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys..."

"That's a lie!" Veronica said, jumping up out of her chair, knocking Circe's cat carrier to the floor. It sprang open and the cat jumped out, hissing and even attempting to swat at Ron's pocket, where Scabbers was now hidden again.

"I don't see your mother hanging around anymore, do you, cousin?"

"Don't you dare speak of my mother that way!"

"I'll speak of my aunt any way I _want_ to speak of my aunt!"

"My mother—_your aunt—_was one of the greatest witches _ever!_"

Draco laughed. "Oh? You want to count on that? Well. I'll have _you_ know that your mother isn't coming back anytime soon, Ronnie. You know why? Because what with her being a 'great witch', she got herself into trouble, because she didn't know what was good for her, either. And she only has you to blame. Like the Potters."

Ron and Harry jumped up ("Say that again," barked Ron), but one of the two boys beside Draco—Veronica assumed it was Goyle—cried out in pain, flailing his arm around. Scabbers had latched onto his finger, and Circe had pounced on him, aiming for Scabbers but overshooting.

"Get your demon cat off him!" Draco snapped.

Scabbers flew off and hit the window. Circe, too, jumped off, hissing now at Draco and his friends. Veronica scooped her up quickly and almost literally stuffed her in the cat carrier again, being sure to lock it.

The four rushed out, then Veronica glanced up at Harry and Ron, who gaped at her open mouthed. "What?"

"Y—your _eyes..._" Harry said.

"What about them?" she said.

"They're—they're blood red," Ron said.

"Oh, yeah," she said, relieved that that was all they were troubled about.

"Who did you say your parents were?" Ron asked.

"Oh—I didn't. I just know that their name was Lestrange."

Ron appeared to be in thought, but said nothing.

Eventually they put their Hogwarts robes on again as they slowed to a stop in front of the school. Circe had fallen asleep in the cat carrier and Scabbers had been stuffed back inside Ron's pocket. The three of them quickly pocketed the rest of the food that they hadn't touched before leaving the train, going onto a platform outside where a giant of a man was calling out, "C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years over here!"

Veronica stepped off the train and immediately her arm was yanked by Draco, who said, "Come on, cousin, we don't want you intermingling with that lot anymore..."

She shot a sympathetic look at Harry and Ron before she reluctantly followed her cousin into a boat, along with Pansy and a boy she didn't recognize. Crabbe and Goyle got into another boat after them, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all shuffled into one boat. She got her first look at the castle then, and felt something different than what the others did. To her, this wasn't just a school—it was the first glimpse of a place she could call _home._

* * *

><p><strong>Here I am with another chapter of this ^.^ I've been having a hard time lately so I decided to update this since Hogwarts gives me solace in times of need. Also, I am currently editing a picture that is supposed to be what Veronica looks like, so you should look for it on my profile. It should be up soon.<strong>

**- Hatter of Madness**


	4. Arriving at Hogwarts

Harry and Ron watched Veronica walk off with Draco before making any attempt to move to their own boat. When she was barely out of earshot, Ron said, "I _really_ don't like that Veronica girl."

"Why not?" Harry asked. She had, in his opinion, seemed nice.

"Well, you wouldn't know, would you, being raised by Muggles and all," Ron said. The change of pace made Harry feel a bit insecure. "You don't know who her parents are. Mind, I don't really know who her father is, either, but her mother..." He shook his head. "Her mother is Bellatrix Lestrange. She's a lunatic, that one. No wonder Veronica lives with an extended family."

Ron nearly avoided a crash with a small girl coming barreling towards him, fear and yet an unmistakable look of awe written on her face. Even though she, too, was eleven, the other students towered above her.

"Need any help there?" Harry called after her. He felt very, very bad for her, considering.

She slowly turned around and said, "No, but thank you," before going on her way again.

* * *

><p>The boats were cramped, and Veronica had been shoved into one with Pansy Parkinson, the girl she had met on the train, and another boy she didn't know, with dark skin and long, slanting eyes. He looked around, being very quiet. Despite his silence, he seemed to be very foreboding. Pansy had called him 'Blaise'; Veronica avoided meeting his gaze at all costs.<p>

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were in a boat right next to theirs. Every once in a while, Draco would say something like, "_This_is it?" or "I'd expect more from the 'finest school in Britain'".

After a while, Veronica was splashed directly in the face by Draco. She turned, a look of anger on her face. "Having fun, cousin?" he said, while Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy snickered for a very long time. Blaise stayed silent, looking as though we was split between being on Draco's side or sticking up for Veronica.

She was burning with rage. How much longer would she have to put up with him? Knowing fully well that he was going to be sorted into Slytherin, she begged, _Please, for the love of Merlin, _anywhere _but Slytherin... I'd rather be a Hufflepuff than be in Slytherin..._

The boats stopped in front of the castle. Upon seeing the tall, dark pillars and towers of the castle, all Veronica could think was one word: _Home_.

* * *

><p>They followed Professor McGonagall throughout the castle. Despite laughing at her earlier, Pansy would not shut her motor mouth to Veronica for one second. "So, you're really Draco's cousin?" she said, as though this were the most magnificent thing in the entire world. Veronica desperately wanted to tell her to shut her giant mouth before McGonagall grew angry with them for talking. She did not seem like one to cross.<p>

Instead, she nodded; Pansy squealed with delight (which was really quite a feat, considering who Pansy was). "Oh, that must be wonderful," she said. Immediately Veronica could tell that Pansy was taken with him. All she could do was say "Well..." before Pansy could interrupt again.

"And you live with him, don't you?"

She sighed, then nodded again.

"Oh, _wonderful_."

She wondered how much longer she would abuse the poor adjective, but said, "Well, it's not _all _that great. I've never met my parents before. At least, I don't really remember them much. I don't even know what they look like."

Pansy frowned, then said, "Well, I'm sure your aunt and uncle must be wonderful, though, right?"

"Yes...they're the life of the party, for sure..."

McGonagall gave them a sharp look. "If you ladies are done," she said, then said, "Welcome to Hogwarts." Though they were inside the castle, it was the first time that Veronica got a good look around. The school was _beautiful._ It was so perfect, in fact, that even though she had only been there a few short minutes, the place was already more like home than Malfoy Manor had been. The entrance hall was huge, with no distinguishable ceiling. The walls were lit with torches, similar to those in Gringotts bank. There was also a marble staircase that led up the stairs. It was so enormous that Veronica couldn't come close to taking it all in.

"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly," McGonagall continued, "but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."

Veronica's heart sank. Though she knew what the professor meant, if anything was like home at Malfoy Manor, she didn't want to be associated with it. Hogwarts already was so very different than home that she already knew that she liked it far more, and she couldn't fathom leaving at the end of each term.

"You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." Her heart sank even more, seeing the look Draco shot her from across the entrance hall; immediately, she fell back into her thoughts. _Anywhere but Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin..._

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." _Please, not Slytherin. Anywhere but Slytherin_.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She took a good look around at all of them, then said, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

As soon as McGonagall disappeared behind the huge doors leading into the Great Hall, Pansy fell into conversation once again, railing about how wonderful it would be if they were both in Slytherin and shared a dormitory. Veronica nodded, too polite to say anything else, then looked around for Harry and Ron, who were already busy discussing the sorting. A little ways behind them was the girl they met on the train named Hermione Granger; behind her, a boy holding a toad that must have been Neville Longbottom; and not too far from herself and Pansy, Draco was standing with Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise standing alone by them as well, looking around. A smirk was almost permanently etched on her cousin's face.

Ghosts started sweeping over the little group, and several students looked up in awe as they glided over head. Veronica was too busy begging Merlin knew who that she wouldn't be put into Slytherin. _Anywhere but there..._

McGonagall couldn't have chosen more impeccable timing to come back, leading them into the Great Hall. Veronica looked around, even more in awe than she had been when she came in. The first thing she laid eyes on was the staff table, where several older witches and wizards sat. In the center of the table was an older gentleman, with a long, grown beard that was very white, with half moon spectacles. Veronica instantly recognized him as Albus Dumbledore; Lucius had said enough about him to recognize him at once.

Apart from that, there were four long tables throughout the Hall where students sat, too. Looking at what they were wearing easily indicated what each student's house was. First, on the far left, the Ravenclaws presided, each of them looking more and more intelligent than the person before them; next came the Hufflepuffs, who were apparently above trying to decide who would be in their house; the Gryffindors were next, who (unlike the Hufflepuffs) were placing bets on who would be sorted with them; and lastly, the Slytherins. Veronica quickly looked away from them.

They stopped in front of a stool, on which perched an ancient looking witch's hat. Too afraid to look forward, Veronica craned her neck upward, surprised to see that the ceiling in this part of the castle was absent. Instead, they got a very good look of the night sky. She had read in _Hogwarts, A History _that the ceiling was charmed, but she hadn't realized that it looked so lifelike.

The hall fell silent. There was no noise for a few seconds, then the hat started _singing._

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
><em>_But don't judge on what you see,  
><em>_I'll eat myself if you can find  
><em>_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,  
><em>_Your top hats sleek and tall,  
><em>_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
><em>_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
><em>_The Sorting Hat can't see,  
><em>_So try me on and I will tell you  
><em>_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
><em>_Where dwell the brave at heart,  
><em>_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
><em>_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
><em>_Where they are just and loyal,  
><em>_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
><em>_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
><em>_If you've a ready mind,  
><em>_Where those of wit and learning,  
><em>_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
><em>_You'll make your real friends,  
><em>_Those cunning folk use any means  
><em>_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
><em>_And don't get in a flap!  
><em>_You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
><em>_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Thestudents that had been sorted in years past started to applaud, and the teachers did too. However, the new students were too petrified to move. Veronica herself was still trying to will some sort of higher power to let her go _anywhere,_ anywhere in the school but Slytherin.

McGonagall now had a long scroll of paper in her hands. She waited for the noise to die down, then said, "When I call your name, you will put the hat on your head and sit on the stool." She then looked down and read the first name: "Abbott, Hannah!"

Hannah Abbott came forward, looking about as queasy as Veronica felt. She sat on the stool next to the professor, who then put the hat on her head. Immediately, it fell down over her eyes. There was a moment's pause, then the hat spoke again, shouting, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table at the end of the hall erupted into applause. McGonagall took the hat off of Hannah's head, and she scurried off quickly to join her house. Though Veronica admitted the sorting wasn't _too _bad, it still was less than desirable, having her fate decided in front of the entire school.

"Bones, Susan!"

Another girl came forward, sitting down on the stool. The pause was much shorter this time, but was still evident, then she, too, was sorted into Hufflepuff. The sorting continued like this, with the next few names going by very, very quickly, in an unnerving sort of way. There was Boot, Terry sorted into Ravenclaw; then after him came Bulstrode, Milicent as the first Slytherin; and the list went on. Before long, Crabbe, Vincent (one of Draco's friends) was a Slytherin. The throng of students began to shrink rapidly.

"Lestrange, Veronica!"

Veronica's heart sank; she didn't feel ready to be sorted, and she was still muttering to herself, _Anywhere but Slytherin...please don't let Draco and I be together... _She wasn't sure if she was imagining her cousin mouthing the word 'Slytherin' over and over again.

As she walked up, she could hear the unnerving whispers of the group in the hall.

"_Lestrange, _did she say?"

"Like _Bellatrix _Lestrange?"

"Did they _really _let her come here?"

"She'll be in Slytherin for sure..."

Veronica's lip quivered; she wanted to cry, just to add insult to injury. But she continued to walk forward, feeling more and more dizzy by the second, and sat down on the chair, the hat sinking over her eyes just as she got a good look of the room.

A small voice immediately hissed in Veronica's ear. "Hmmm."

_Don't put me in Slytherin,_ she thought back.

"No?" the hat responded. "Oh, but your mother and father both were Slytherins, you see. Your extended family, too, with few notable exceptions. But it's all in your head. You have a sharp mind, do you not?"

_No,_ she thought back.

"Oh? It's all here, dear. And you seem to be adventuresome and friendly, too, even if a bit cunning and witty. Interesting, very interesting..."

The hat stopped speaking, so to say, as Veronica waited; easily, the waiting while looking at the inside of the hat was the worst part of the whole ordeal. Soon, she promised herself, she would be sitting with her new house and looking forward to her new life at the school. That was the only solace he could give herself: The solace that she would be settling into her new life soon, just after the hat reached a decision.

"Ah, I know. Better be...RAVENCLAW!"

She practically threw the hat off, running the table where the Ravenclaws gave a halfhearted job of cheering. She didn't understand what the fuss was; things had seemed off with them once it was announced that her name was Lestrange. She took a seat quickly, looking back at the sorting as her new house members continued to give her odd glances.

Not to anyone's surprise, when the name 'Malfoy, Draco' was called out, the hat barely grazed the top of his head before it announced, "SLYTHERIN!"

Veronica's heart soared. For the rest of her time at Hogwarts, she and Draco would not have to spend too much of their time together, and that was just the way she liked it. The crowd was getting smaller and smaller, and she found herself intrigued by her new house. It seemed as though the entire school was excited for the remainder of the feast. She finally brought her attention back after the sorting of 'Nolan, Sian' as another Ravenclaw.

She was surprised, as were Harry and Ron. Sian was the young girl they had met on the platform after getting off the Hogwarts Express that Ron had nearly ran into and that Harry had been very kind to. The rest of the students, even those seated, towered above her. But the thing that caught Veronica's attention was the way that Sian got herself around.

Sian was so much shorter than the rest of the school because she was in a wheelchair.

* * *

><p><strong>I haven't updated this for over a month, my apologies. I have a LOT of plans for this story, so yay :') I ultimately want to pair Veronica with a boy, but I want to know opinions (this should be should the boy be a canon character, or an OC? I'm open to either but I'd greatly appreciate opinions on the matter). Also, I wanted to let everyone know that the character Sian is inspired by two friends of mine: One, who is her namesake, is a friend of mine that writes as well; the other is a girl named Lucy, who has brittle bone disease and is in a wheelchair and is in my drama class at school. I also read a confession on the Harry Potter Confessions Tumblr, wondering how a disabled person would get along at Hogwarts. First off, I DO NOT WANT REVIEWS SAYING THAT THE MAGICAL COMMUNITY PROBABLY HAS 'FIXES FOR DISABILITIES' and blah blah blah. Because I WOULD like to explore this idea, okay? Kthx. Also the name Sian is pronounced, usually, like 'Shan', but I personally like it pronounced at face value as 'sigh-en' instead xD It doesn't matter to me how you choose to pronounce it. Reviews are as always appreciated.<strong>

**- Hatter of Madness**


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